The Inheritance
by MadameLaffy
Summary: When the Cakes pass away, Pinkie Pie takes on the responsibility of raising Pound and Pumpkin on her own. For better or for worse, she promised to always be there for them. A few pairings here and there, but mostly family. Title/Summary sucks a bit...


The Inheritance

_Fandom: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_

_Genre: Angst/Family_

_Rating: T (Only to be safe)_

_Author's Notes: I have this thing for sad MLP stories…I like them. So, I decided to try one out. I'd love feedback if you're willing to provide any! _

_Chapter 1 – Inheriting, Responsibility_

Every pony had those days where the sky weighed down on them more than normal, and when the sadness of a day made it just a bit more difficult to breathe. Those days where, no matter what somepony did, they just couldn't cheer up.

A pink hoof brushed the wet earth, leaving a smooth mark against the brown dirt and muddying the tip of the hoof.

Normally, Pinkie Pie was good at avoiding those days. She would put a smile on her face, laugh, and sing a song. All ponies would cheer up instantly when she was around. There was never a reason to be sad with a pony like her.

Blue eyes stared at the mark, narrow and unresponsive. The area was silent, except for the sound of the rain hitting the soil, creating a low murmur as it soaked into the ground. Pinkie's blue eyes welled with tears as she pawed at the ground once more. The two white lilies in her mouth drooped under the heavy weight of the rain and their petals were stained with the icy water. Normally water invigorated them, but not today. Nothing invigorated anypony today. Not even Pinkie Pie.

In the background, the others murmured. A low, dull sound like that of a heartbeat. It washed over the unusually silent land, but barley made a dent in the aura of depression that surrounded the normally happy, ecstatic pink pony. No one went up to her, however. No on said a comforting word, or put a hoof on her shoulder. No one knew what to say.

It was hard to bring Pinkie Pie down. Nay, impossible. No matter what you did, she was normally always happy. It was easier to make her smile wider than make her frown.

"Pinkie…" The young filly's purple friend, Twilight Sparkle, began. Her voice was low and cautious, careful of how to talk to the other pony, "I'm…I'm sorry." Though she, and her other friends, had said that same sentence a countless number of times in the past week, it seemed to be the only thing that she was able to say. Ears back, Twilight, stood next to Pinkie. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Apple Jack watching her carefully. Her green eyes never missed a beat. Rainbow Dash took a seat on a nearby rain cloud. No matter how bad she wanted to kick those clouds away, they were customary on a day like this. Rarity's eyes filled with tears, but for once not because her mane had become soaked or she was knee-deep in mud. Fluttershy simply stood there and stared at the earth. She was only halfway through her fifth break down. Her oceanic-green eyes were red around the edges from the amount of tears she had shed.

Twilight went back to Pinkie. The pony's bouncing mane had become drenched with rain and drowned in sadness, causing its normal puffy texture to deflate into a straight, flat one. Pinkie's hair always deflated like that when she was sad, (though Twilight had only seen it once, the rest of the group had assured her it was true) but there was a lingering fear that it may not go back to its original, cotton candy like style. One eye was covered in this wet hair, but the other was narrowed. It lacked the spark of life and energy that it normally held. It was almost as dark and lifeless as the cemetery around them.

Twilight peered forward, staring at the two graves that rested in front of them. She dared not look over at Pinkie Pie, whose hooves were shaking at that point. Shutting her own purple eyes tight, she opened them once more, biting her lip.

"I knew you…All of you were close…" Twilight continued, "I can't imagine what it's like…when its…Oh Pinkie, I'm so sorry. I-"

A sudden movement from the pink filly made Twilight freeze in mid-sentence, staring in surprise. Pinkie slowly took the flowers from her mouth, holding them in one hoof instead. She turned to Twilight, her eye still narrowed but the smallest twitch of a sad smile upon her mouth.

"It's not your fault, Twilight…" She stated. Her voice lacked all energy, and it sounded absolutely exhausted. Pinkie had never sounded like that before; then again she had never seen anything like this happen before.

"I know…but…No one expected it to happen." Twilight whispered, giving her friend a small, reassuring nuzzle, "Both were wonderful ponies. They did the right thing, leaving you the bakery. I know you'll be great at running it…" Twilight stopped, realizing too late that her words might have struck a small chord in Pinkie. However, the earth pony simply nodded to the unicorn, brushing her hoof into the soft dirt for the third time that hour.

"...Thanks, Twilight." Pinkie Pie murmured, her hoof going back up to put the flowers in her mouth again. Taking it as a signal, Twilight gave one last sympathetic nuzzle and hurried back to the rest of the group.

"How's she doin'?" Applejack asked, worry lacing her voice as she cantered up to Twilight.

"Dude, Mr. and Mrs. Cake just died." Rainbow Dash pointed out with a quirked eyebrow, "How do you THINK she's doing?"

"Aw hush," Applejack spat before looking over her shoulder again, "The poor filly. They were family to her, the Cakes. I can't imagine what's goin' through her mind."

Rarity shook her head. "They were such healthy ponies! I can't imagine what brought them to become so ill suddenly…"

"And with such a strange sickness too." Twilight chimed in, "It was so foreign, not even Zecora could figure out what was wrong with them…"

"I only wish there was something we could do." Fluttershy whispered as she, too, peered over to Pinkie Pie. The five stood in silence for a while, debating amongst themselves whether to bother Pinkie Pie for a second time. However, after a few minutes, Twilight silently turned around and headed home. Once she left the cemetery, Applejack excused herself as well. One by one, the group dispersed, leaving Pinkie alone in front of the two graves and engulfing the land, once again, in silence.

Pinkie normally loved parties. Huge get-togethers with food, cake, and music. Parties that brought ponies closer together, and sometimes even helped them to make new friends. Those were the kind of parties she liked. Ones that were happy, for no reason, and carefree.

A funeral wasn't anything like those kinds of parties.

In fact, they made her feel pretty awful.

Pinkie Pie rubbed the ground in front of one of the graves. She hoped, just hoped, that this was a joke. Somepony was playing a joke on her. Cup Cake and Carrot Cake weren't really gone. They'd pop out from behind a tree and scare her. When she was scared enough, they'd laugh. "That's for all the times you've scared us, Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake would say, her broad, warm smile beaming. "Now you know what your own medicine tastes like…that made sense right?" Mr. Cake would ask his wife, and she would only nod.

But the idea was an illusion, shattered easily by the names on the gravestones in front of her.

_Cup Cake_

_A devoted wife, mother, and baker._

_Carrot Cake_

_An amazing husband, father, and baker._

The tears that had begun falling from Pinkie's eyes blurred the dates. Thunder sounded in the background, and helped drown out the loud sob that escaped her mouth. Ears pulled back, mane and tail soaking; Pinkie lowered her head and tried to blink away the tears. She dropped one flower in front of each grave and reared back up, taking one long, hard stare at the grave.

"…I'll take good care of 'em, Mr. and Mrs. Cake." She whispered, using one hoof to brush the thick pink hair from one side of her face, "I promise I will."

Her legs felt weak, much too weak to support her. With a light thud, Pinkie sat on the ground in front of the graves and continued to cry, choked sobs occasionally falling from her mouth.

That stupid foreign disease. It ruined her life and took the ones she loved.

And, worse, on the twins 4-month-birthday, too.

Pinkie had left the cemetery at least an hour ago. She had arrived back at the bakery; mane sopping wet and body raked with shivers and tears. The whole bottom of the normally bright, fragrant shop was dark, dim, and scentless. What used to seem welcoming and happy was now depressing and foreboding to Pinkie Pie. She wanted to shrink away from the shadow's impending glares and hope that she just wouldn't be seen.

The only light source from the entire bakery shone from a certain room upstairs. Pinkie peered up the stairs, ears straining to listen for any sounds. The only one was the flickering of the candle. Placing one hoof in front of the other, the filly silently made her way up to the hallway. One door was left ajar, that single candle omitting a warm glow from within.

Pinkie pushed the door open just a bit more, so she could carefully squeeze her body through. The light wasn't blinding, but still hurt her reddened eyes. Wiping the tear streaks from her cheek, the filly crept silently over to the small blue crib that had begun to glow yellow in the candle's light.

She dare not touch the edge, sometimes it did squeak quite loudly, but she peered over it. Her single visible eye welled up with more tears, but she decided to try and hold them back.

She simply sat and watched them.

Pumpkin was always a heavy sleeper. The young foal would always be chewing on something in her sleep. As of the moment, a rubber chicken was lodged firmly in her mouth, eyes shut in the most content face Pinkie had ever seen. Pound had a bad habit of attempting to fly in his sleep, but tonight he was grounded firmly, a blanket wrapped around his body.

They looked like angels, sweet little balls of fur and innocence.

But they weren't. They're parents were now.

Pinkie brought a hoof up to her face and touched it. She had barley noticed that she had been crying for a little while now. Tears streaked down her pink cheeks, reddening her eyes further. Another distant clash of thunder was heard, but the twins neither stirred or awakened. It hurt Pinkie's heart to think of them as she did now.

The orphan Cake twins…

Who would love them?

Who would play with them?

Who would show them how to make friends?

Teach them right from wrong?

Throw them great parties?

Suddenly, Pinkie had the answers.

Looking down at the two young foals, a smile grew on her face before looking out their window. Rain hit the glass pane hard, but even through the gray a small patch of clear night sky could be seen. Two stars twinkled and shone in the distance.

Yes, Pinkie knew exactly who would teach the Cakes all these things.

Leaning over, Pinkie touched her nose to Pumpkin and Pound Cake's foreheads, leaving gentle kissing atop them. The two wiggled in their sleep, but their eyes remained shut. Pinkie stood there for a while.

"Don't worry, little fellas." She whispered to them, omitting the lowest and quietest of laughs, "Auntie Pinkie will take care of you. She'll always take care of you. There's no need to worry, or cry, or anything…"

Pinkie Pie made a promise to those twins that night.

No matter what happened, she would be there for them.

Sometimes, even fore a pony like Pinkie Pie, responsibility always had to come first.


End file.
